Page 74 of The King's Sword
She glanced down, realizing she was still in her nightdress. It was rumpled and torn near her shoulder. She didn’t know if she had done that while she’d been thrashing or if it had happened when the assassin had her.
“Thank you.” Sabine went over and took the robe, sliding her arms through it and tying it around her waist.
“I’ll escort you to a room where you can bathe and change.” He opened the door and motioned for her to exit before him.
She stepped outside and squinted from the bright light. Evander led her along the pathway to the right. They walked side by side in silence. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him, things about last night with the assassin, about the conversation she’d overheard him have with his sister, and his mother’s comments just now. However, something prevented her from doing so.
Maybe once they left the palace, he’d tell her what was going on. The last thing she wanted to do was to cause problems between him and his family. And she definitely wanted to discuss the assassination attempt back in Lynk.
He led her to the building that housed the royal family. He opened the door and ushered her inside. “Your room is not suitable after the events of last night,” he said as he led her down the hallway. “You can bathe and change in here.” He stopped before an ornate gold door. “I’ll have clean clothes brought for you.”
She opened the door and went in, noticing a closet off to the side filled with clothes. “Is this someone’s room?” Perhaps his eldest sister who no longer resided in this palace.
“It’s mine.” He pointed to the door on the left, not meeting her eyes. “The bathing room is through there. I’ll be back in a few minutes with clean clothes for you.” Without another word, he closed the door.
Standing alone in the room, Sabine turned in a slow circle, taking it all in. It was similar to the one she’d been staying in. A large bed on the floor, a couple armoires, a dressing closet and a bathing room. There was nothing in the room that gave it away as being Evander’s. No weapons hanging on the wall…though she supposed that made sense. If Evander’s bed was on the floor so no one could hide beneath it, then surely he wouldn’t display weapons someone could get ahold of and use. Even though she didn’t see anything that resembled Evander, the room distinctly smelled like him.
While she wanted to snoop, she refrained from doing so out of respect for Evander. Instead, she went into the bathing room. The tub had already been filled with steaming hot water. After removing her robe and nightdress, she lowered herself into the tub, allowing the hot water to wash over her. The steam surrounded her face along with a light lavender smell. Evander must have added some oil to the water for her. Then Sabine laughed. It wasn’t like Evander had drawn the bath—it had to have been a servant.
After several relaxing minutes, Sabine found soap and washed her body and hair. Once finished, she got out and wrapped the robe around her, peering into the bedchamber. A pile of clothing had been placed at the foot of the bed. Not seeing anyone in the room, she went to the clothes, running her hand over the fabric.
She couldn’t help but compare Rainer to Evander, her assassin-pirate-friend. She shouldn’t be interested in him in any way, but she was. She couldn’t help it. Rainer appeared to be perfect on the outside, luring her to him. But it was just his appearance. Not him as a person. Evander was the one she’d come to know and care for. And through that, she found him more appealing. He made her laugh and feel good about herself. Yet, he was not her lot in life. She was married to Rainer. There was no point thinking about things that could never be. Things she could not have.
She wiped the tears away, not understanding why she was crying. She shook her head, trying to think straight. There were so many more important things to worry about—like stopping a war, returning kidnapped children, and trying to stay alive. Irrelevant things such as her personal feelings shouldn’t matter. She rolled her shoulders back, wanting to be strong. She needed to pull it together so she could do what needed to be done to keep her kingdom safe—even if that meant sacrificing her own happiness. It was a small price to pay. Her kingdom deserved peace. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she took a deep breath. She had a job to do. It was time she start doing it.
She lifted the dark purple dress, stepped into it, and slid her arms into the sleeves. Once it was on, she tied the fabric belt around her waist.
A knock sounded on the door. “Come in,” she called out.
Evander entered the room, closing the door behind him. He stood there, staring at her, his bright green eyes full of some emotion she couldn’t pinpoint.
The air suddenly seemed hot and hard to breathe. Needing to snap the connection she felt pulling her toward Evander, she asked, “Why don’t you have anything personal in here?”
He chuckled. “You snooped?” He raised a single eyebrow as he stepped farther into the room.
“No. I just noticed this room is similar to the guest room I was staying in. And there aren’t any books, figurines, or letters lying about. There’s nothing in here that tells me it’s yours.”
“My clothes are in here.”
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“What makes you think I’d have figurines?” He moved farther into the room, only a few feet away from her now.
She shrugged. “You look like the sort of fellow who would have miniature pirate ships.”
He laughed, tipping his head back as he did so. “Every time I try to act smooth around you, you go and say something like that.” He looked at her. “You make me laugh.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that. He made her laugh as well, but she didn’t want to admit that out loud. It felt too intimate. Especially in the room with the door closed. “You have other homes,” she said, thinking out loud. “Do you keep your possessions at another location?” Maybe his main residence was elsewhere because surely he had to have items that were important to him—a favorite book or painting. Something uniquely Evander. She wanted to know what he cherished and why.
He sat on the edge of his bed, looking at her. The wall behind him contained floor to ceiling windows, revealing a handful of trees outside just beyond the water. “I have nothing special to me anywhere,” he said matter-of-factly.
“I don’t believe that.” She fiddled with the tie around her dress, wondering why he didn’t want to share this with her. A pang of hurt tightened around her heart. She had to shove it away.
“It’s true,” he insisted, his voice husky.
“Not even a single wooden pirate ship figurine?” she said, half joking and half serious, trying to keep the heavy mood somewhat light. She couldn’t fathom him not having a single prized possession.
“No.”
